Sarri accuses Chelsea players

No word from Maurizio Sarri. So that’s your lot! A big win for Arsenal; a big worry for Maurizio Sarri, whose Chelsea continue to stutter. It’s going to be some battle for the Champions League places now. Thanks for reading!

Unai Emery speaks! He praises the atmosphere, wanting to win the derby for the fans. This victory will give the team optimism, he says, and Arsenal can be happy. His team need to find a balance home and away, because they are very strong at home. They are going to continue working to find that balance.

That’s only Bernd Leno’s second clean sheet in the Premier League. No coincidence that captain Laurent Koscielny, today’s man of the match, is back in the team after that lengthy injury lay-off. No coincidence that the midfield consists of that hard-working Torreira-Xhaka-Guendouzi axis. You have to wonder how much longer Mesut Ozil will be at the club. But that’s a debate for another day. Arsenal were marvellous this evening, and after a rocky period will be considering the possibility of Champions League football next season, something that seemed well beyond them not so long ago. It’ll be a hell of a battle, though, when you factor Manchester United’s absurd momentum into the equation. Misfiring Chelsea might be worried that they’re heading in the opposite direction. Sarri has a few things to think about.

Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny (centre) chats with his former teammate Olivier Giroud after the final whistle. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

FULL TIME: Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea

And that’s that! Arsenal deservedly win this big London derby! They regain fifth spot, above Manchester United on goal difference, having got back on the horse after last week’s defeat at West Ham. Chelsea’s stuttering form continues, though, and now they’re just three points ahead of the Gunners in fourth. A huge win for Unai Emery; a worrying performance for Maurizio Sarri.

90 min +5: Barkley is booked for an Eighties-style lunge on Guendouzi. “Koscielny has been tremendous today,” says Kári Tulinius. “He seems like a really nice guy, so I’m pleased for him that he’s back from injury. As an Arsenal fan I’m also happy, because a fully fit Koscielny is, to borrow a phrase, like a new signing.”

90 min +1: That’s given Chelsea a little boost, and Hazard goes scampering down the left. He shuttles the ball further forward for Barkley, who reaches the byline and rolls a ball across the face of goal. Whereupon Giroud fresh-air swipes. It’s not Chelsea’s day.

87 min: Alonso goes dancing down the inside-left channel. he beats a couple of challenges before eventually clattering into Koscielny and conceding a foul. An opportunity for Arsenal to manage the clock, as the defender takes his own sweet time to get back up, in the professional style.

81 min: Elneny dinks a pass down the inside-left channel. Kolasinac opts for the spectacular, looking to volley across Kepa and into the top right. Full marks for ambition, and it’s a decent enough effort, too. He catches it well, and it deflects off Rudiger. The resulting corner comes to nothing.

It’s a case of close but no cigar for Arsenal’s Sead Kolasinac with this spectacular effort. Photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images

79 min: Pedro and Alonso combine well down the left, and the latter earns a corner off Maitland-Niles. Hazard whips it long. Alonso wafts his hand in Maitland-Niles’ face as they compete for the ball. No foul. Instead, it’s another wasted corner.

77 min: Pedro does enough to win a corner off Sokratis down the left, but he’s not getting the decision. He has the good grace to laugh at his own misfortune. Then Hazard dribbles with purpose down the right, before cutting inside and sending a screamer over the bar in an attempt to find the top left.

73 min: Hazard strokes a diagonal pass towards Pedro, just inside the Arsenal box on the right. Pedro takes a fresh-air swipe at the ball. The home support manage a quiet “yay”, but their heart’s not in it. The Emirates is a wee bit deflated in the wake of Bellerin’s injury.

72 min: Pedro comes across to wish Bellerin the best as he’s carted off. The poor lad’s got his leg in a splint, and his arm over his eyes. He gets a warm, sympathetic ovation as he departs down the tunnel. Elneny comes on in his stead.

70 min: Bellerin is down, and sadly it looks serious. There didn’t seem to be any contact as he went down independently, and he immediately grabbed his left leg. He’s currently being loaded onto a stretcher.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin is in a bit of pain after his left knee gave way whilst he was chasing the ball. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images via Reuters

68 min: Changes all round. Arsenal replace Ramsey and Lacazette with Maitland-Niles and Iwobi, while Chelsea swap Willian for Giroud. A strange one that from Sarri; Willian’s looked one of Chelsea’s big dangers this evening.

65 min: Chelsea are seriously rocking all of a sudden. Aubameyang sends Bellerin clear down the right. He’s got Lacazette free in the middle, waiting to tap in. But allows Rudiger to deflect the cross out for a corner, which leads to nowt. How is this still 2-0?

64 min: And now Kolasinac bombs down the inside-left channel and into the Chelsea box! He’s only got Kepa to beat, but the angle’s tight so he looks to find Torreira in the middle. However Alonso’s on hand to make a last-ditch clearance!

62 min: A lovely sweeping move by Arsenal, right to left, featuring Xhaka, Guendouzi and Kolasinac. Eventually Lacazette jigs down the inside left and is clattered by Jorginho. A free kick in a very dangerous position.

61 min:Chelsea are beginning to press Arsenal back. The hosts are struggling to get out of their final third. Willian is seeing an awful lot of the ball on the left; he drops a shoulder to mooch inside before seeing his shot from the edge of the box blocked, and bounce softly towards Leno.

59 min: Hazard plays the cutest reverse pass down the inside-left channel, releasing Kovacic into the area. Kovacic pulls one back, but Koscielny stoops to cushion the cross down with his chest, and Bellerin belts the dropping ball clear.

57 min: Willian dribbles down the left again. Upon reaching the byline, he’s stopped by Sokratis’ slide. The ball clanks off the Chelsea winger, and the Arsenal defender, fist clenched, celebrates the tackle like another might a goal.

55 min: Azpilicueta, out right, slips a diagonal pass into the Arsenal area. But everyone in blue is back on their heels, and it’s an easy interception for Torreira. On the touchline, Sarri continues to fume, waving his arms about and screaming at his players.

53 min: Willian finds a little time and space down the left. His cross is deflected out ... but for a goal kick, slapping into the back of Alonso, who was in the process of undertaking him. Chelsea are beginning to look a little frustrated. “Emery justifies the tactical decision to leave out Ozil when the team hassle, press, tackle and play with high levels of energy like this,” observes William Hargreaves. “Cf. Aubameyang chasing back.”

51 min: And the luck’s been on their side too, of course. There’s Koscielny’s goal, and now Torreira slices horribly on the edge of his own area, only for the ball to evade all nearby blue shirts and drop into the grateful arms of Leno.

50 min: An almighty scramble in the Arsenal box, Willian, Hazard and Jorginho making their presence felt. But they can’t carve out a shooting opportunity, and the ball eventually balloons up into the arms of Leno. Chelsea have had the majority of the possession this evening, but Arsenal continue to look comfortable.

48 min: Hazard probes down the left but there aren’t many options for him. He eventually lays off to Willian, who flicks a pass down the channel, expecting Hazard to be there as well. But even the Belgian maestro can’t be in two places at once.

47 min: Kolasinac goes barrelling down the left wing a couple of times. The first occasion sees him nearly find Ramsey with a cutback, the second has him flagged offside. Both times, he was in acres. Chelsea need to get wise to this.

Here we go again! Chelsea get the second half underway. There have been no half-time changes. The visitors were sent out early by Maurizio Sarri, who may or may not have given his team some trenchant advice during the break.

Half-time reading. As things stand, Arsenal will be back in fifth place, three points behind Chelsea and ahead of Manchester United on goal difference. Whatever happens in the second half, the race for Europe is hotting up.

HALF TIME: Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea

A most satisfactory first half for the Gunners, who have been by far the better team. Chelsea have had their moments, but have never quite got themselves going. They’ll need a big improvement in the second half if they’re to stage a grand comeback.

45 min: Willian takes. Alonso rises on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box, and sends a header across Leno and off the bottom of the left-hand post! Arsenal hack clear, only to concede a free kick to the left of the area.

Marcos Alonso of Chelsea sends a header against the post. Photograph: James Williamson/AMA/Getty Images

44 min: Hazard dribbles hard down the left, reaches the byline, and whips a low cross through the six-yard box. Pedro can’t get near it at the far post. But the ball’s recycled and Koscielny is forced to bundle it out for a corner. That set piece, out on the right, leads to another. From which ...

43 min: Chelsea give up possession easily yet again. This time it allows Lacazette to zip with purpose into enemy territory. Chelsea are light at the back, and the striker has options either side. But he’s caught between passing and shooting, and eventually does neither. On the touchline, Maurizio Sarri looks quite some distance beyond irritated.